Rebel
by Killerblonde
Summary: This is a story about what took place at White Forest BEFORE the collapse of the Citadel. It also tells the backstories of MANY characters, that suprisingly all intertwine. Rated T for violence and blood.
1. Chapter 1

Rebel

**Chapter 1**

_I clicked on the radio and tuned in to my favorite station. "We're live from New York as we see the elite pilots do tricks." I smiled, bunched up some papers, and stapled them. "We can see this rookie take on the double back flip in a state of the art fighter." I picked up some papers, and tapped them on the table to straighten them. I had been trained to do it in such an orderly fashion not even a computer could match my efficiency. "There he goes! He is going up, up, and beginning the decent! He's looking good! There's one!" I put the papers under the stapler. "There's two – oh my gosh! He's been shot down!" I slammed the stapler down, and yelped in shock. "Oh my, oh my, we have multiple unidentified aircraft. Everyone! Please evacuate the area!" I ground my teeth in pain as I removed the staple from my finger. "I've never seen anything like this before! This is not another War of the Worlds announcement! This is real! I can see strange tripods with unearthly weaponry. One is looking at me! I see blue dot--" There was a massive explosion that sent me out of the chair, and onto the floor. The lights flickered, and I could hear numerous worried voices._

*****

"The Harrison is sleeping on the job again," someone with a heavy Vortigaunt accent said. I mumbled something in a sleepy response. "It is unwise to anger the Magnusson."

I opened my eyes. "Whah, who?"

"Dr. Magnusson. He has been expecting the engine checks."

I peeled my face off the cold metal floor. "What? Oh, the engine checks. I got them right here." The papers were crumpled and dirty. "How long have I been out, Uriah?" I asked as I rubbed the imprint left on my face.

"The Harrison has been asleep for 45 Earth minutes," the Vortigaunt replied in a droning tone.

_Dang. Third time this week I fell asleep while carrying out standard check-ups. _

"Tell Dr. Magnusson I'll be right there," I said as I unwrinkled the data sheet.

"I shall do as the Harrison asks."

"Yeah, well, I gotta go!" I shouted as I stumbled down the catwalk.

_Now I've done it. Well, easy come, easy go. I'll probably be assigned to crow duty in the sensors. Rather fall asleep on grass anyway._

*****

"Dr. Harrison, do you know what our motto is?"

I looked up at Dr. Magnusson. "Uh, work hard, eat right, kill combine, and sleep at night?"

His smile quickly turned to a frown. "That was our old motto, but thanks to you, we have a new one. Do your duty or you're on crow duty!"

He leaned down close to my face until his nose was almost touching mine. "You're on crow duty," he shouted with his face turning bright red. "Listen; you get to work outside every day, and I don't have to be near you! We both win, except you."

I put my hands on the arms of the chair, and got up. "Well, here are the checks. I'll be off!" I turned around on the balls of my feet and strode off.

"These checks aren't complete!" I heard from behind.

"Not my job anymore!" I shouted back.

*****

The heavy blast door slowly opened in front of me, but I couldn't wait. I slid underneath it, and slowly filled my lungs with the fresh air. Suddenly, red lights started flashing, and a siren blasted in my ear. I exhaled, and ran towards the nearest sensor.

_No more engine oil fumes, no more smoke, no more Magnusson, no more notes, no more—_

Thwack! I ran straight into a tree. I lay on the ground dazed, and looked up as a rather large bird flew over my head.

_Pretty bird. Big bird. Loud bird. Wait._

I slowly started to hear again, and the first thing that greeted me was a loud engine sound.

_Oh no._

I turned around and saw the same 'bird' dropping combine soldiers at our front door.

*****

I rubbed my swollen head, and crept around the combine drop ship. When I got to the back door, I tugged at the handle. It wouldn't budge.

What a day_, _I thought as I banged on the door.

"Hello? Little help here!"

"I can assist," a Vortigaunt said on the other side. I heard him fiddling with a lock on the other side.

_Hmm. I guess it would be hard to do much with only two fingers. _

The door opened, and I slid inside.

Suddenly, the walls next to me were peppered with bullet holes. I spun around, and saw a combine soldier pointing an AR2 at me.

_I wish I was authorized to use one of those._

As I fumbled around with my machine gun, Uriah slipped off his lab coat. He put is 'hands' behind him, muttered something in Vortigaunt language, and blasted the combine soldier with soldiers entered, and opened fire. Uriah summoned more vortal energy, and directed it at the ceiling.

A collection of rocks fell on the combine, and a cloud of dust filled the room. I slowly walked over to the debris, and picked up a weapon.

_A standard issue combine pulse rifle. I never thought the day would come._

I stroked the smooth metal, and inspected every inch of it.

_Full ammo, no dents, prime condition, and never used._

I hoisted it up on my shoulder and turned to Uriah, who was putting his lab coat on as if nothing ever happened. "Let's go."

We ran down the corridors lit by the red warning lights. I wasn't used to carrying a rifle this heavy, and twice I almost dropped it.

We rounded a corner to face a large battalion of soldiers coming at us.

"Take this!" I shouted, and pressed what I thought was the trigger.

I heard a charging sound, and an orb of energy shot out of my weapon. I was knocked down by the sheer force.

The energy ball collided with one of the troops and bounced around, turning them all black and fizzy. Then, they vanished.

"The Harrison should take greater care next time."

"But I got 'em!" I shouted back at Uriah.

We advanced through the base and to the front door. The battle wasn't going good. I had never used the rifle before, but I opened fire on the combine to support the overwhelmed rebels. The AR2 had deadly accuracy, but it was canceled out by lack of experience.

_I think this is the trigger._

I pulled it, and a trio of bullets shot out of my new toy. They struck an unlucky combine hiding behind a rock. I fired at another soldier, but I had worse aim than a drunken crow hunter with an RPG. Then, a grenade was thrown at me from an unknown location.

_Aw crud._

I was too scared to pick it up, so I stumbled backwards. The combine soldiers followed me, but weren't that bright, and were blown to pieces by the grenade. The explosion sent a cloud of smoke into the air. I fired into the dust.

"Ha! How about a taste of your own medicine," I shouted. "You like dat! You like dat! You--"

Suddenly, a tripod mounted entity emerged from the cloud.

_What the barnacle?_

It emitted a strange sound, (almost stranger than Uriah's battle cry,) and shot a volley of flechettes out of it. They struck the wall next to me.

"Ha! You missed!" Then I heard a shrill charging sound as the devices detonated, sending me flying. I struck the opposite wall, with a sharp pain in my leg.

_I gotta get me one of those._


	2. Chapter 2

Rebel

**Chapter 2**

My ears were ringing, and my vision was blurred, but I could see Uriah. He jumped into action, and blasted the combine machine. It made a sound, and charged at Uriah. Then, almost in slow motion, he leapt up into the air and blasted the machine from above. It toppled to the floor, with Uriah standing on it like a trophy. He then walked over to me, and knelt down.

"The Harrison's injuries are light," he said. He summoned energy on his fingertips and waved his hands over me. I felt my entire body being restored, and incredibly drowsy. "Rest now…."

*****

_I slowly got up and looked around the office. Chairs, computers, and paper were strewn all over the floor. What was that? I thought. The lights flickered again and went out. I groped to the window, cupped my hands, and peered out. There were strange monsters on the street battling out military. I started counting. Okay, 36 – 2, aliens. 38 – 2. 46 – 3. 50 – 3. I could easily see we were not winning. Then another tripod stalked down the street. It shot bright bullets that made an energy splash on the ground. Then it warmed up its blue beam. Light got distorted around its cannon, and a beam of pure energy shot out of it, disintegrating a tank. Then it turned, and looked at me._

*****

I peeled my eyes open, and saw that I was on a surgical bed. Uriah and a couple other doctors were hovering over me. One was putting a cast on my right leg, and Uriah was using his vortal powers for healing.

"That was a hunter you were up against," one of the doctors said. "Few live to tell about it. You lucky it's only your leg I'm wrapping a cast around. Don't worry, though. Uriah says it'll be healed by tomorrow morning."

"Where's my gun?" were the first words to leave my mouth.

"The Magnusson thinks you are unworthy of it," said Uriah.

"WHAT!?" I yelled, trying not to strain myself. "I took down a battalion of troops with a single bullet!"

"For your information," said Dr. Magnusson, just entering the room, "that was an energy orb. I didn't even know any of the troops carried them! We could've used it for my rocket, but oh no. You decided to use it on five soldiers." He inhaled sharply, and stomped out of the room.

_Someone woke up on the wrong side of their iron frame bed today._

*****

I slowly made my way out of the medical room on my crutches. They were splintery, frail, and put together in a hurry.

_Dr. Magnusson can build a rocket for combat with a powerful galactic empire, but he can't build a decent set of crutches._

My right crutch broke, sending me down. I tried to catch my fall with the second, but it fractured, and broke in two. I swore under my breath while trying to get up.

I made my way to my room, and fiddled with the door.

_Stupid twenty year old doors_

I finally got it open, stepped inside, and flicked on the lights.

"SURPRISE!" My eyes flew open, and I staggered backwards.

"Okay, you got me," I said. I looked around, and saw most of my friends. Most of them also had crutches. "So, what's the occasion?"

My friend, Sheckly got up. "Well, what do you think?! You killed a hunter!"

"Wait. I didn't kill it. Uriah did."

"Still! You survived. That's a first."

"So, you're celebrating because I survived an attack by a hunter, and I wouldn't have if Uriah hadn't killed it. Why isn't he invited too?"

His eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead. "Griggs, are you kidding me?" he said as he gulped down a glass of water. "Vorts are the worst dancers, and besides. They have wacky powers, so they get plenty of special treatment."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah I see." I got up, craned my back, and slowly made my way to the refreshments.

_That fridge wasn't in here when I was in my room last. How did they get that in here?_

I grabbed a chipped green plate, and got a slice of pumpkin pie.

"And now it is time for your gifts!"

I turned around. "I still don't see what I did."

"Well, consider it a gift for slowing down the hunter, or killing the battalion of elite soldiers single handedly. Your first gift is this refrigerator."

_Goodie; a fridge. What I always wanted. _

"And secondly, a prime condition AR2!"

My eyes opened wide as I inspected the sleek weapon. I put a hand out, and picked it up, cradling it like a baby. "I thought Dr. Magnusson said I couldn't have one?"

"He doesn't have to know."

"Uh, Sheckly, I don't really know how to work one."

"No problem. I do. I'll take you out to the firing range tomorrow, but for now, enjoy your party."

I smiled, and took a bite of the pie. I let the sweet flavors roll around in my mouth.

_If there's one thing I can thank the combine for, it's the air quality. It makes the food so much better. If only there were more people left to enjoy it. _

"You like that pie?" said one of the cooks. "I baked it myself."

"Oh, yes. Can I--"

Then, a random drunken person came up from behind and thwacked the cook with a bottle.

"Hoppy birday!" He said, just before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

*****

"Thanks for coming. Bye!" I shut the door on the last guest and leaned against it.

_Finally_

I looked at the clock. It was 2 AM. I rubbed my forehead, and put the last of the pie in my new fridge. I hopped into my bed, made of a hard iron frame with a single thin mattress.

_Why do the combine get nice places to sleep? Oh, yeah. They don't sleep._

I stared up at the ceiling thinking about my new weapon. _What a beauty. _

_Over twenty pounds of firepower in a single handheld device_

I leaned over, picked up a cloth, and shined the AR2.

_Just wait until tomorrow, and then we'll have some fun. _

My eyelids began to droop, and I fell into a deep sleep.

*****

_The tripod stared at me, and charged its cannon. My heart skipped a beat, then a missile was shot at is. It stopped, emitted a strange noise, and turned to face the soldier that shot the rocket. It continued stomping down the street, shooting at anything it could find. Then, a man grasped my by the arm, and pulled me away from the window. "Hey, who are you?" "I'm Mr. Thomson, and I think it would be wise to evacuate this building." I followed him down the stairs, and I opened the door. Then, a human in a strange black outfit blocked our path. He had an alien weapon in his hands. "Stop, citizen!"_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I awoke to the sharp ringing of an alarm clock. I pried my eyes open, and waited for them to come in to focus. I sat up and rubbed my head. With one swift motion, I tore a page from my calendar, and tossed it into the overflowing trash bin.

_June Sixteenth_

I reached over to my desk, and found a suitable knife. I slit open the cast on my leg, and gingerly removed it from my once damaged limb.

_The wonders of Vortigaunt healing_

I examined the cast, and set it on my work bench.

_This could come in handy._

I wiggled my healed limb, and slid it into a brown shoe. It felt rather unstable due to the effects of accelerated Vortigaunt healing. I hobbled over to the door, and opened it. The day at White Forest had already begun, with people hurrying from place to place. I, half awake, made my way over to the mess hall.

"Good morning, everyone!"

Dr. Magnusson was giving the morning announcements no one liked.

"Today is a splendid day! It is June seventeenth, no clouds, and about seventy degrees; the perfect day to build a rocket!"

_Crud; my calendar's messed up._

"Data reports show that my rocket is almost 40% complete. Someday we might be able to use it against the combine, but for now, it's a heaping pile of metal. Back to work!"

I opened the double doors with great anticipation of what today's breakfast would be. Another pumpkin omelet would make me sick.

_Why don't I ask them?_

_Because it will make a fool of yourself_

_Oh, you would know._

_Shut up!_

_You shut up!_

_You shut up!_

_Both of you shut up!_

_All three of you; SHUT UP!_

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, attracting the attention of the entire room. The conversations stopped, and all heads turned towards me. I quickly turned around, rubbing my neck. Without making eye contact, I jogged into the kitchen.

A Vortigaunt with a chef hat on was focusing on a dish of some sort. His headwear hung comically off to one side. He picked up an egg, used his outrageous nails to cut it two perfect halves, and plopped the innards into a bowl.

"The Harrison, I presume," he said, without taking his eye off the egg. He picked up a beater, and began to whip the egg in a way no human could.

"Say, another pumpkin omelet?" I asked, attempting to avoid showing him that I thought his dish was rather, unpleasant.

"The Harrison might instead enjoy my casserole," the Vort said as I toyed with a cherry tomato. After spinning it around in my hand, I popped it into my mouth. I mentally sighed in relief we wouldn't have another orange nightmare with cheese.

The skilled cook added a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of sugar, and began beating the mixture once more. Then, a flare of flames caught my attention, as one of the beginning chefs attempted at bacon.

"No, you idiot!" shouted his constructor as he doused the flames.

_Weird how Vorts are better at stuff learned in minutes than some people are after a life of training._

I turned back to the more skilled Vortigaunt chef as he carefully measured a cup of milk. As he poured it into the bowl, he grabbed a small bottle and added two drops.

"The vanilla extract is the most precious of all!" After putting down the bottle, the two fingered master continued whipping the pale mixture. He picked up the bowl, poured it into a large red mug, and handed it to me. "For the Harrison."

"Thanks," I replied as I took the concoction. "What is it?"

"Your kin calls it eggnog; a cool and refreshing drink for a summer day."

I nearly burst out in laughter. "What?! It's a traditional drink for Christmas!"

"I see. The Harrison will enjoy it, although," the Vortigaunt said before turning around and helping the amateur human chef prepare bacon.

"Yeah, thanks," I giggled, before walking back out to the cafeteria. I took a seat at the closest table, and sipped the drink.

_Wow. The Vort was right. Good year round. Much better than that combine stuff._

"Hey buddy!" I looked up at who had said that, and saw Sheckly at my table. "Where'd you get the nog?"

"Eh, Vort made it. Good stuff."

"Yeah, so, Griggs, how 'bout the–" he winked at me twice.

"Oh, the–" I winked by right eye once, my left one thrice. His smile disappeared.

"No, the–" Sheckly winked his left eye, then right twice, then left again.

"Gotcha," I replied. "So, what are we doing?"

"I'm goona train you to use an AR2!" he whispered.

I took another swig of my drink. "Sure you know how to use one, Sheckly?"

"Can't be that hard," he replied. "We can figure it out together!"

_Not what he said last night._

I drank the cool, frothy dink. The Vort's Eggnog was amazing. I heard the soft metal sliding window of the cafeteria, as everyone got up to get their breakfast. I followed. They were in a clump around the small window where a cook was giving out trays. A Vortigaunt would give us an equal amount of breakfast casserole, calling us by our last name. I took my tray, and got a blob of a yellow – green mixture. I turned around on my heels, and strode back to my table. I sat down, and took a big bite.

_Ugh; too dry_

The nasty casserole scraped my throat as if I were swallowing mini crowbars. It was almost as bad as City 13's ration packs, tasting like a roasted fast headcrab. I took another bite, but it was just as bad. I saw that everyone else was gobbling it down, as if they were starved.

_Maybe my food is the only bad one._

I tried to eat it, but simply couldn't, as it was terrible in comparison to the eggnog. I hadn't had eggnog since I was a child. I eventually gave up, rose from the table, and went back to my room. The hallways were empty, as everyone was wolfing down food at the other end of the base. It was almost eerie as I walked down the corridors. With no people, I could see all the imperfections; paint was peeling off the walls, there were bullet holes from previous combine assaults, and tons of notices from Magnusson on what not to do.

I finally came to my room and inserted my key. I opened my door, went inside, and closed it behind me. I tore off my pajamas, and put on jeans with a white shirt. Over that I threw multiple pockets and bags. I put on light leather armor over it all, followed by more bags. Just before heading out of my room, I put on my two arm bands with red crosses on them that I had worked so hard to earn. I knew that the combine don't want to waste too many resources on a rebel base that might or might not have a rocket, so I only put a single vial in my bags. After smoothing my full head of hair in front of a mirror and straightening my mustache, I skipped out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I was on my way to the front blast doors when a rather dirty man jumped in front of me. He had a disheveled lab coat with many pockets and only a few hairs on his head, sprouting in random angles. His eyes were fine, if it weren't for the fact that they faced different ways, covered in mile thick glasses. He had a huge smile on his face, and yellow teeth.

"Pardon me," I politely said trying to walk around him without looking directly at the man, but he blocked my path again.

"Well, hellooooooo!" The lunatic said as he shook my hand very rapidly.

"Uh, pleased to meet you," I said, before turning around and walking away, very fast. In a flash, he ran up ahead of me, and once again halted my progress.

"Oh, ho, don't leave yet! We have things to do!"

_Well, I guess I can spare a few minutes humoring a lonely soul._

The man hastily pulled me down the hallway. He seemed like he knew where he was going, but every so often, he would turn around and go another way. We were walking down a corridor when he suddenly grabbed his knife out of one of the many pockets on his wrinkled uniform. He jabbed it into the wall, and smiled as if he had just won the lottery. He cut out a circle in the plaster, and removed a small chunk. Then, reaching into his bag pulled out an identical piece and filled the indent.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled.

"SEE?" he said, holding up the chunk in his large hand. Carefully he pointed to a round piece of metal.

_A camera_

"They're watching us," he said, his right eye twitching.

"Who, the combine?" I asked as we continued walking.

"No. Well, yes, but this camera was of the administrator," he remarked, placing the camera in another pocket.

"Breen?"

"No! Dr. Magnusson!" he said under his breath as if he was always being hounded. "They want to watch every little thing. I have removed ten cameras, thirty motion detectors, and even a smoke emitter just this week. If they were mines, you would've blown up a thousand times by now!"

"I see," I replied, now worried where else the cameras would be. "So, can I get someone else to help you?"

"No," he glumly said. "I observe everyone in White Forest Base, and you seem like the quiet type. Not many people can see what I am about to show you without blabbing to Magnusson, and I need help."

_He needs help alright._

*****

"Here we are!" he joyfully said, pointing to a wall.

"Let me guess; a trap door?"

He snorted, and replied, "Heck, no! This is the only wall with a button."

Then, he must have done the most random thing yet. He thrust his right hand into a section of the wall brighter than the others. A sign above it read 'wet paint'. His hand went in further and further until his eyes opened wide. He slowly pulled it out of the putty and smoothed it over.

"Got it," he said, smiling wide.

Then, he turned around, and sprinted through the hallway. "Come on!" he yelled behind me.

I quickened my pace to keep up with the paranoid man. He turned corners and went through hallways until he came to a door. As soon as he put his hand on it, it blinked green. Then, he pulled the handle off, and began to pry the door open.

"What on Earth are you doing?!" I whispered, hoping not to attract attention, even though everyone was still stuffing their face in the cafeteria.

"I'm...prying….off…the…door!" he said, as it fell to the ground. "Eh, see? I reach into the wall and press a button. It gives me two minutes to sprint across White Forest Base and scan my fingerprint. Then, I remove the fake handle, and open the door. Some call me the greatest mind of my generation, but you can call me Lazlo."

_Wow._

"Come, come in!"

I stepped through the door, and he followed behind me. He replaced the handle and reset the door. Inside was a huge laboratory.

"Well I'll be a roasted fast headcrab! You got a whole workshop!"

"Yes," he said, rubbing his hands together. "If you tell anyone, I'm afraid I'll have to give you a total lobotomy. I like to keep to myself here, where I can run my experiment without 'work on my rocket this, and stop carving out my walls that'. I hardly see anyone that knows I'm watching them," he said like he wanted me to pity him.

"I see," I said, picking up a flat sheet of metal.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" he screamed, grabbing it from my hand. "This is a prototype shield generator. I can't match the power of a combine one yet, but I can apply it to a small area."

_He has a freaking shield generator and we don't know?!_

"Here, let me show you!" he attached multiple wires to it, and plugged it into the wall. The lights flickered, and got very dim. Then, the metal started to glow red. It had the same look as a combine shield, only it was on a surface.

"Unbelievable," I remarked in awe at the device.

"It's not very powerful," he said, "as it fails if too many things try to get through at the same time. It's a power hog too. If I could only have one minute with a fusion reactor, I could gather enough power to energize a thousand of these babies for years!"

I gave it a punch. Surprisingly, my hand was thrown back, however the lights on the ceiling flickered, and almost went out.

Lazlo disconnected the wires, and the numerous lights came back on to full power.

"Cool," I said.

"Cool?" the crazed man replied, left eye twitching. "I spent months on a machine that could turn the tide of a battle, and all you can say is cool?"

"Uh, it's very nice?" I replied, trying to sound impressed.

He grumbled under his breath, and moved on to his next device. "This next doo-dad is what I call the orb-o-matic! Just the press of a button, and you got yourself an energy orb!"

I looked down at the small box on the table. "That little thing can make a combine ball?"

"Wrong. This little thing controls the little thing that makes the orbs."

"What," I chuckled, "_That _little thing?" I said, pointing to a circuit board on his desk.

"No, that," he said, pointing to a huge metal device in the center of the room.

"That's pretty big for a little thing!"

He turned to me, adjusting his glasses. "It's pretty small for producing a self containing energy packet!"

With that, he spun around and activated the device. The machine opened up three arms, and began to spin in circles. The lights flickered, and went out, however the room was plenty bright, thanks to the machine. A small light appeared in the center of a beam of light. It grew to the size of a bowling ball. Then, the beam disappeared, and the energy orb remained.

_We might actually stand a chance against the combine!_

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something out of the ordinary. There was a tall slender man with a briefcase, standing behind a clump of wires. He plucked one from its socket, and it fell to the ground.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Get away from there!"

Lazlo grabbed my shoulder, and spun me around. "What are talking about, boy? Were the only ones in here! Stop shouting or it will give us away!"

"No!" I said. "He's right…right…where'd he go?" I looked around, but the strange man was nowhere to be found.

_Maybe the eggnog's making me hallucinate._

Then, a shower of sparks fell on me from the machine. I heard the sound of metal screeching to a halt. The orb in the center, almost taking its full form, began to get dimmer. I heard the sound of it losing its energy, and it exploded in a flash of light.

"Oh, fiddlesticks!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The lights slowly came back on again, and the machine stopped making attempts to fix the orb. Lazlo, horrified, ran over to the device and hugged it.

"It'll be okay. I'll fix you up, yes I will!"

_I think I better leave._

I turned around and paced towards the door. The wacky scientist was still comforting his creation, when I got to the door.

"Just kick it open!" he yelled from behind.

With a powerful thrust of my good leg, the door fell to the ground. Hoping I didn't make too much noise, I quickly set it up again.

_Gotta get back to my room_

I took off through the hallways, retracing Lazlo's steps. They were mostly vacant, but every now and then I would meet a person asking where I came from. Ignoring them, I continued traversing the base. Then, I turned right, and my heart nearly stopped.

_The man_

I turned my head to see him. Everyone else was totally oblivious to his existence. I could see him more clearly now. Purplish hair, blue suit, black briefcase, and shined shoes. Only then did I realize that I was still moving. I smashed into, and through the wall, or my head at least.

_The putty wall_

My head was half submerged in the putty Lazlo had so cleverly put there. I could see a little out of my right eye, but the man was nowhere to be seen. I tugged by body away, but it was stuck. The sound of footsteps approaching sent a chill up my spine.

"You know, Griggs, when I was waiting for you at the firing range, I thought up a lot of crazy places you could be, and things you would be doing there. I never guessed your head would get stuck in a gelatinous wall."

"Oh, shut up," I said under my breath, knowing it was Sheckly, as I tried to pry myself free. I put both feet on the wall, and tugged with all my might, but my hair was stuck.

"You know, I think there's something you're not telling me, and I won't help you out until you do."

"Sorry," I said, struggling to break free of Lazlo's greatest invention, "not goona do it!"

With a final push of my legs, I broke free. At least most of me did, and a clump of hair was hanging out of the wall. Shocked, I slowly put my hand on my head.

"BALD! I'M BALD!"

"Wrong;" Sheckly corrected, "you're half bald."

_Great_

"Isn't that the strangest thing!" acclaimed Lazlo, coming out of nowhere. "Skin moves through it just fine, but hair gets stuck! See, I used to have hair on my fingers –"

"Who's he?" asked Sheckly, cutting him off.

"Oh. He's my, uh, friend; Lazlo!"

Then, Lazlo saw my head, and worriedly glanced up at the wall.

"This shall not do," he grumbled, pulling a device out of his pocket. It looked like an aerosol can with a lighter, among other doo dads. He flipped it around in his hand, and then aimed it at the hair. He then activated the weapon, sending a breath of flame into the air.

"Ney, ha!" he shouted, having lots of fun.

He torched the hair until it was nothing but ashes, and smoothed over the putty. After twirling it around in his hand for what seemed like hours, he placed it back into his bag.

_Now that's coming prepared._

"So, Griggs, Lazlo, hate to leave you to your 'hair in the wall burning ceremony', but I have to go." With that, he turned around, and strode off. After getting a few meters away, he quickened his pace.

"Some people are so weird!" Lazlo said to himself, inspecting my head. He took out a comb, and gave me the best, (and worst,) come over I had ever had. "Beautiful!"

"What are you two hoodlums doing?"

Lazlo screeched in shock, and instantly turned to face Dr. Magnusson.

"You!" he said, pointing to Lazlo. "Where have you been? I need your data reports from six months ago! I'm sorry to interrupt you little haircut, but we have things to do, places to see, and rockets to build!"

_Six months? No wonder he's a whacko._

"Sorry bud," the scientist said, waving his fingers in the air, "but I work on MY projects now!"

With that, he gave the most girly 'ah' I had ever seen, and ran towards his lab.

"And you," Magnusson said, "should be outside! GET OUT THERE, OR PREPARE FOR UNEXPECTED FIRING PRACTICE!"

I turned my back, and gave him a double eye roll, just before heading out the back door.

"And remember!" he shouted from behind. "Don't use grenades!"

*****

"NEY HA!"

I jumped backwards as if it was a rattlesnake, only to realize it was Lazlo.

"How did you—"

"I have my ways," the man said, smiling and lowering his eyebrows.

"Listen. I have sensors to de-crow."

I continued walking, but he blocked my path yet again.

"Hey, Griggs; look at this!" He reached into another one of his pockets, and activated yet another one of his devices. Then, from above the trees, hundreds of birds flew out of where the sensors are, making quite a racket.

"Well, now I have nothing to do," I glumly said, sad that I can't use my master grenade skills to 'shoot' down birds.

Suddenly, his eyes went wide, as he franticly looked around. I was about to ask what happened, but he clasped a hand over my mouth. He shushed me, and froze. Then, he took off towards white forest base. I followed, wondering what had spooked him. The forest was eerily quiet, and my heartbeat sounded loud enough to wake a poison zombie. Lazlo finally came to a stop in front of the base.

Laying himself against the wall, he slowly inched across to the door. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he slowly opened it. Then, I heard an unearthly noise come from the forest, followed by a huge pack of hunters. They were backed by elite combine.

"Come on!" Lazlo shouted at me, pulling me into the safety of the base. He slammed the door, and took a moment to catch his breath. I fell to the floor, but scrambled back to my feet.

"It's, a scouting party! We, need to get, to, the lab!" With that, he took off towards his laboratory, stopping only to reach into the putty wall. Just before turning the corner, I looked back and saw Sheckly near the door we had entered from.

"Get away from the door!" I shouted, waving my arms.

Sheckly, not knowing of any danger, looked at me as if I was pulling his leg. "Now why would I do that?" he sarcastically replied.

As if on cue, the entrance exploded, sending a cloud of dust into the room. Flashes of gunfire illuminated it, followed by the red sensors of combine elites. Then, a combine synth emerged from the smoke. It galloped at full speed towards me and Lazlo.

_A hunter_

I grabbed the frozen man by the arm, and attempted to pull him away, but he simply stood there.

"Come get some," he muttered under his breath, before producing two homemade flamethrowers. He twirled them around in his hands, and aimed them at the hunter. They were no more than aerosol cans with lighters attached via a simple circuit, but they did the trick. He let out a battle cry, and charged at the beast.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Just before the two collided, Lazlo leapt into the air, and landed behind the hunter. Confused, it turned around, only to get a scorching from the scientist's flamethrowers. Annoyed, it took a jab at him with its leg, but the agile lunatic dodged it. Lazlo circled the beast, setting it alight, but the hunter was taking no damage. It was, however, on fire, and very angry.

_Not good_

The combine synth turned towards the scientist, and began to fire its projectiles at him. He sprang off the wall, narrowly dodging the flechettes, and continued burning the hunter.

"Lazlo I don't think it is working!"

"Give it time!" he shouted, still flaming the hunter. Then, his cans ran out of spray, and he dropped them to the ground. The hunter, now very hot, let out a howl, and turned towards me. It began to charge its cannon, but then its antenna on the top exploded from the heat, sending green juices everywhere. It stumbled, and fell to the ground.

Lazlo, brushed a few hairs from his face, and looked down at the dead beast. Then, he fished through his bag for yet another pair of flamethrowers. He turned to face a battalion of soldiers marching down the hall. He loaded one of his cans into a launcher of some sort, and fired it down the corridor, leaving a trail of gas behind it. Then, using his other flamethrower, ignited it sending a ball of fire through the elites. They lit, and tried to move in their suit, but came falling down in a heap of burnt fabric.

"How many of those things you got left?" I asked, half amazed and half amused.

He looked at me from above his glasses, raising an eyebrow.

"I have enough to send Magnusson's rocket into space."

_Wow_

I drew my machine gun, and loaded a clip. "Let's go!"

The scientist spun around, and sprinted towards the nearest battle. I followed with my weapon, ready to fire. Then from around the corner I saw sparks, and heard propellers whirling through the air.

"HACKS!" someone shouted from afar.

Seven red lights came around the corner, attached to whirling contraptions of doom. Lazlo, still perfectly calm, sprayed them with flammable paint, followed with the flames to ignite it. The combine robots burst alight, acting as candles. However, that did not stop them. They were as stable as ever, only now angrier.

Lazlo saw his mistake and backed up. I fired short bursts at the manhacks, hoping to bring them down. My bullets simply bounced off them, doing no good. I decided to give up, and switched to a new tactic. I franticly looked around, searching for a weapon. Then, a glint of blue metal caught my eye.

_A crowbar_

I threw aside my machine gun, and grabbed the crowbar. It was very heavy, but I managed to get it above my knees. With all my might, I lifted it above my back, and swung it at the manhacks. This made me let go, sending the hooked metal rod flying through the air. It struck three manhacks, slicing through them with ease.

Four remained, still flaming and sparking. I drew a grenade, and pulled the pin.

_One, two, three!_

I tossed it into the manhacks converging on me. The grenade exploded in mid air, disintegrating the robots. I was thrown back by the force, sending me crashing into the opposite wall. My hearing was muffled; the gunfire sound like it was underwater. I winced, and tried to crawl away from the battle, but I could hardly move. It was then that I noticed that a blade from one of the manhacks was sticking into my chest. I instantly yanked it out, and threw it aside.

_That's not good._

From the wound, a slow stream of blood ran out of it, making no sound at all. I clasped my right hand over it to try and stop the bleeding, but it didn't stop the warm red liquid from running around my fingers. With my other hand, I reached into my backpack, fumbling around for a medpack. I found only a vile, but it was good enough. I brought it out, but in my rush, it slipped out of my hands and rolled across the floor.

I tried to stand, but I couldn't. I tried to crawl, but my wound began to bleed more. I lay on my stomach, and with one hand pulled myself across the floor. Around me, combine were pouring in from all angles, and we were barely holding them off. I shouted for help, but everyone seemed oblivious to my presence. Realizing I was on my own, I pulled myself along, leaving a thin trail of blood. When I was an inch away from the vial, a closet door opened.

Instead of seeing brooms and mops, there was only darkness. A tall man in a suit walked out, holding a briefcase. He smiled at me, turned, and kicked the vial a few feet further away. I looked at him with utter hatred, but he simply smiled back. That gave me the energy to try and stand. I got up on my knees, and wobbled until I came face to face with him. He bore his greenish eyes at me, daring me to give him my best punch. With my remaining strength, I drew my fist, and drove it into his head. His entire body exploded in a flash of light, and he was gone. I collapsed on the floor a few inches away from the vile. I reached for it, and grasped it, but I didn't have the energy to move anymore. I could sparsely breathe, or think.

Suddenly, a fellow medic saw me, and dropped his weapon. He rolled me over, cracked open the vile, and poured the green plasma on my chest. The goo soaked in instantly, and formed a cocoon around my wound. Then, the painkillers set in, numbing my middle body. It started to heal very rapidly, pulling the skin around it. Then, sound slammed back into my head. Gunfire startled me, and I was forced to clasp my bloodied hands around my ears. I saw that my uniform was stained dark red, and there was a streak across the floor.

Just then, flare of light caught my attention, followed by crazed laughter.

_Lazlo_

The thought of my friend still being alive made me sigh with relief. The medic grabbed my arm, and propped me up against a wall. He picked up his weapon, and returned to the fight. Breathing softly, I put my hand on my chest, trying to make sense of what just happened, or why I was alive. Having my medical knowledge, and from the length of the streak across the floor, I should have died. Something or someone was keeping me alive. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a TV screen on the wall. The man appeared briefly in it, half sneering, half smiling and clapping his hands lightly. It blacked out, and so did I.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_I was sitting at a table with a platter in front of me. I ate a little bit, but couldn't taste anything. The room was faded and cloudy, and everyone was ignoring me. Then, a man with a suit walked into the room. Step by step, he slowly came over to me. I tried getting up and moving away, but I was somehow stuck. Subconsciously, I knew it was a dream, but that didn't stop the ice cold fear clutching my heart when the man got closer. He reached a hand out to me, with no expression what so ever, and placed it on my face. I couldn't see or breathe or move._

*****

"This is too frequent," a mystery voice said.

I knew I had awoken, as I could feel and think again, but kept my eyes shut.

"This is the millionth time he's been injured because of his own carelessness!"

"Please, Dr. Magnusson, just give Griggs some time! I'm sure he'll stop goofing around."

"Okay. He'd better, or else…" the voice trailed off into the distance. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes, pretending to wake up. Sheckly was standing next to my bed.

"Hey, you're up!"

I lifted my hand to rub my aching head, when I realized it was covered with heavy bandages. I opened my eyes wide, looked down, and saw a large wrap around my chest. Memories of fighting manhacks, pulling myself across the floor, and that man flashed through my mind.

"Doc says you got a pretty nasty wound. He's surprised you're even alive."

"How long have I been out?" I managed to croak out.

"All night," Sheckly said, examining my head cocoon. "I managed to get everyone into a tight corridor, and we fought them off from there. Lazlo scorched up a large part of the base, and Dr. Magnusson is not happy."

"Lazlo's alive! Is he hurt?"

"He's perfectly fine, unless you're definition of 'fine' is—"

Just then, Lazlo came bursting into the medical room. His face was blackened, besides his eyes under his glasses, but he was as cheerful as ever. Sheckly smiled, and left the room quickly.

"Those flamethrowers work for you?" I jokingly asked.

Lazlo plopped into a chair next to me, pulling it up to my bed.

"Vorts say I should be more careful, but I really don't like taking their advice. Helpful as it may be."

"Why? Vorts are so friendly and helpful! What do you have against them?" Then, I noticed his body. No wounds, no bandages, he wasn't lying in a make-shift hospital bed, and he was the one in the heat of combat! "I guess some people have all the luck."

"Yeah, some…"

Then, Lazlo froze. His smile disappeared, and he became very sullen, not moving a muscle. Through those thick glasses and crazy eyes, I could see something else. Something not like him, something terrible. He nearly stopped breathing, and just stared at the wall. Then he blinked and returned to his normal state.

_What was that?_

"What was I talking about?" He said, and by the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was serious.

"I just said that some people have all the luck and you froze."

"Weird. I have no idea why that happened," he said, but I knew he was lying.

"Lazlo, be honest with me. What happened to you?" I asked, concerned.

"Well, what happened to you? I couldn't even find you, and then I turned my back and you suddenly appeared!"

"Well, Lazlo, you're not going to believe this, but some sort of man is hounding me. He appears here and there, and is influencing things, somehow."

"Psh! That's preposterous," he laughed as Uriah walked into the room.

"Hey Uriah, do you believe what Griggs is saying? Some sort of whacky man is stalking him."

Uriah rubbed the back of his head, thinking for a moment.

"I believe it would be wise if the Harrison rested for the moment."

Lazlo smiled at me, satisfied that he was right, and jogged out of the room. Uriah, however, stayed and took a seat. Or at least he tried to, as the chair was meant for humans. After one attempt, he got up, moving the chair aside.

"Every day, he chooses more people for his cause."

"Who?" I asked, curious if the Vortigaunt knew anything about this man.

"No one knows his name, or even species. He usually takes the form of a human, in a government suit. The Harrison must be watchful for him. Once he selects you for his plan, there is no escaping his clutches. It takes many of our kind, highly skilled in the Vortessence, to loosen his grip on anyone."

"Oh, wonderful," I said under my breath. "So, I'm a slave now?"

"The Harrison is not a slave, but rather a pawn."

_Even better_

"I shall watch out for the Harrison, but I fear I will not be able to help you without assistance from my kin."

After that, Uriah trotted out of the room. I watched him open the door a crack, and slip through it. As the door closed, my vision faded, and I once again fell into a deep sleep.

*****

_I was in a small house of some sort in the forest. Around me were pictures of my memories, and books holding all my knowledge. Then, the door was thrown open, and the man walked into my house. I picked up a picture in a frame and threw it at him, but he absorbed it, and grew larger. I threw everything I could at him, but it only made him grow bigger and bigger as he got closer and closer. Then, he burst the roof of, and swelled to the size of a strider. He lifted his briefcase, and threw it down on me._

*****

My eyes flew open, and I realized I was breathing quickly and sweating. Looking around, I realized it was still day, however the infirmary was mostly vacant besides for a doctor here and there. I turned my head over and looked out a window. I had a perfect view of the citadel. That black combine structure jutting up out of the ground. Then, a side twitched, and moved upwards. Hundreds of city scanners were released, spreading all around City 17.

_They must be after something big!_

Then, a face flashed in front of my eyes. I knew who it was, starring me down with a sneer.

_So, I'm your pawn, now?_

I was almost waiting for a response, but I knew nothing would come. I shifted in discomfort, trying to find a reasonable positing with my heavy chest bandages. I stared at the massive combine monument. Scanners just kept pouring out, turning on their blinding white cameras, getting ready to photograph everything that moved.

"Sure is something," said a doctor, just walking up.

"Yeah," I said while squinting my eyes.

"You just rest up Griggs; you're lucky to be alive."

"Got that right," I replied as I began to drift off again. Everything Uriah had told me, Lazlo's reaction, and this man controlling me where swirling around in my head, like a pool of water trying to settle.

_Some people have all the luck._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_I was on the top of one of White Forest Base's lookout towers, with my machine gun ready. Soldiers below were invading the base, but we were holding them off. I aimed, and fired my entire round on a group of elites by a tree. Then, the man's eerie face flashed in my vision. I dropped my SMG, and it clanged against metal rungs as it fell. He came into existence right in front of me, floating in mid air. Then, without lying a hand on me, shoved me off the tower. I picked up speed as I fell, and could see that some rocks below would serve as my landing pad. Suddenly, I rapidly slowed down, and fell into what seemed to be a sheet of silk. My entire body felt warm and comfortable, unlike the nightmare the man was turning my dream into. He was still at the top of the tower, staring down at me, but slowly but surely, he faded out of my dream._

*****

I gradually came out of my sleep, saddened it was over this time, and found Uriah's glowing hands, gracefully moving back and forth over my body. Seeing that I had awakened, he stopped, and backed away.

"Did the Harrison sleep well?" he asked, worried he had bothered me.

"First time in days," I replied. "Thanks."

"You need not thank me. All Vortigaunts here on Earth have a debt to pay to humanity, because of the lives lost at Black Mesa." After that, he turned around, and jogged out of the room. I looked down and inspected my wound. I was still badly injured, but I could tell that my recovery time had been significantly shortened. I massaged my head, still covered in bandages, and fully came out of my sleepy state.

"Good morning, Griggs!"

A passing doctor had a breakfast tray with casserole on it. He brought it over to the side of my bed where he put it on a table.

"Eat up; you need to rebuild your strength."

"Thanks," I replied. "I won't leave a speck!"

The doctor smiled, and turned to walk out of the room, when he stopped. "Oh yes, and a Vortigaunt in the kitchen made you some sort of drink. Wouldn't say what it was."

_Eggnog_

"If you need anything, I'm just a shout away!" he said as he strolled out of the room.

After a moment or so, I looked down at what I had agreed to eat all of. The same breakfast casserole from the other day was there, starring up at me. A mug of eggnog was sitting next to it, nearly saying 'Drink me!'

I picked up the fork, and dislodged a small bite from the casserole. Slowly, I placed it in my mouth and began to chew. Surprisingly, it tasted exactly like the awful dry casserole a couple days ago, but this time I loved it! I shoveled forkful after forkful into my mouth, and washed it all down with the creamy eggnog. For a brief instant, I was worried that I was eating o fast that I was beginning to annoy the other people in the makeshift hospital, but it was quickly pushed out of my head by the delicious tastes. I delightfully swallowed the last bit of casserole, and gulped down the last bit of eggnog.

It was only then that I realized that the amount of casserole on the plate was for at least three people. I slowly put my hands of my rumbling stomach, as if to keep it from exploding.

_I'm going to regret that…_

I shifted, and rolled on my side in the bed, staring out the window at the citadel in the distance. A side rose near the top, and a hunter chopper slid out. A second chopper, flaming and badly damaged entered for repairs. Even though it was miniscule compared to the actual building, I knew of the destructive power it wielded. Images of a black helicopter flying through above a razor train with me inside flashed through my mind. Slowly but surely, they became more and more vivid, as I sunk back into sleep.

*****

_We were all loaded into small pods. I could barely move my head from side to side, as the train we were on began to move. How did they take control so fast? It hadn't been three hours. The alien transportation device began to pick up speed, as a helicopter flew overhead. For a brief instant, I thought it was our military. However when it began firing at our few remaining soldiers, my hopes were crushed. The train moved faster and faster, going at speeds never meant for the crumbling railroad. Sparks began to fly, as the alien vehicle derailed. It tumbled around, surely killing all of the operatives, however I was protected in the safety of my pod. It finally came to a halt, in the side of a ditch. Then, a group of soldiers walked up, dressed in dirty uniforms. They began using torch cutters to open the pods. "Come on! We're taking any survivors to a missile base up in the forests, far away from here." He helped me up, and we began to run for our lives._

*****

My eyes opened, and I starred at the peeling ceiling. I sat up, and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

_I think I'm healed enough._

Shakily, I rose to my feet, and blinked my eyes. Using the wall as a support, I tried making my way over to the door.

"Whoa, you are in no condition to be up. Get back to bed."

I turned around, and saw a doctor trying to take my arm. I pulled away.

"I feel fine. At least let me visit my friend."

The doctor hesitated, and then replied, "Okay, but if you fall over in the middle of the hallway, or pass out in an elevator, I'm not going to carry you back here."

"Sure," I said, walking out the door as I rolled my eyes. As soon as I was outside, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath.

_Maybe the doc's right._

I pushed myself away from the wall, and stumbled down the hallway. I felt my chest screaming at me to turn back, but I managed to ignore it. By the time I got to the putty wall, however, I could nearly feel the blade still in me.

I reached my hand into the section of hair grabbing goo, and felt around for a button. I found, and pressed it. Then, I jerked my hand out of the putty, and cringed with pain. The hair on my fingers was gone.

Angrily, I muttered curses about the putty, and jogged through white forest, leaning on the wall. After the agonizing journey, I got to Lazlo's trick door at last. I gripped the handle, and it blinked green.

_He must have added my finger print to the lock. How does he have my fingerprint?_

I yanked off the handle, looked around for any viewers, and then lodged it into the door. I struggled with it for some time before the door finally popped out of position. I replaced the handle, and maneuvered myself around into the lab. Then, I grabbed onto the metal bars on the other side, and pulled the door closed.

"I see you've mastered the door."

I spun around, clutching my chest, and saw Lazlo at his workbench a few feet away.

"Don't do that," I said, chuckling.

He grunted, and continued to work.

"What are you working' on?"

"A car," he replied, turning around. "I've managed to piece together a makeshift vehicle for transportation uses. It has two seats. This is the brake mechanism."

I eagerly glanced about the room looking for the car, ignoring the small device Lazlo was trying to show me.

"Over here," the scientist replied to my obvious ambition by pulling off a cover over the vehicle.

_Incredible_

The vehicle was of nothing I had ever seen. It had an open engine, yellow sides, and a visible metal frame. Coming up from behind me, Lazlo grabbed a welder and a mask.

"Don't look," he said, moments before climbing in the vehicle, and starting to weld. Sparks flew around the hand I was using to shield my eyes.

"So Lazlo, are you going to tell me what spooked you the other day?" I asked while as I squinted my eyes.

His welding stopped, and it became so silent, that the only thing I could hear was the humming of Lazlo's computer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After an audible sigh, Lazlo climbed out of the makeshift vehicle, and removed his mask.

"I guess I can't hide it forever."

"Hide what?" I asked, hopeful he would tell me. "You can trust me. I'm your friend."

"Before the combine came, I worked for the United States military. I was good at building things, but they always wanted me on the front lines."

He paused for a moment, chewing on his lip, and sat down on the desk.

"I, as they called me, had all the luck. I never got into combat, never lost a leg, and never had to kill anyone. All I did was tinker with pyrotechnics, while others died on the battlefield. But then, my luck ran out. We were all sent out to Black Mesa to investigate a disaster of some sort. We got in out helicopters, and set out over the desert."

I felt deeply sympathetic for the seemingly crazed man's past as he described it.

"I sat right next to my friend, Corporal Sheperd, as we embarked. Then, these, things flew over us, and blew the choppers to pieces. I managed to survive, but my friend was nowhere to be found. I had never fired a gun in combat, and I probably never will. I hate guns. They're so sloppy and inefficient. If I had the choice, I would've used flamethrowers. But there I was; the heat of battle. Suddenly, one of the survivors turned on the scientists running to and fro! We were killing our own kind, our own nationality! I couldn't bear it. I ran away from the scene. I found a helicopter that hadn't crashed, and took off with it."

He blinked back tears as he continued. "I was a coward. As I took off, I saw soldiers dying from these, these creatures. Vortigaunts, Headcrabs, Bullsquids. I hate them all."

"Lazlo, they couldn't help it! The Vorts were being controlled. Somehow they broke free, and now they're our friends!"

"I know," he said angrily, "but it doesn't help. And it gets better too. The soldiers on the ground were screaming me to return for them, but I couldn't. We would all die, and I needed to survive to tell what happened. I flew to the nearest military base I knew about. When I got there, everyone was gone. The next one was the same, and the next, and the next! I finally gave up, and took refuge at one of them. I stayed there for a week or so. I finally decided to return to my family, in the mountains. When I finally got to our little shack, they were dead; killed, by the combine. Those hunters, I hate them. I didn't know where they came from, but when I found out; I swore I would kill all of them."

"I'm so sorry—"

He continued with a chuckle, "It was then I realized that there were millions of them. All created by the intelligent aliens;" he lowered his voice, "the Combine. The only reason the Vorts aren't on the list is because of how many people care for them."

"Lazlo, I had no idea," I said, reaching an arm out to him. He sharply inhaled, then returned to his happy state. "Glad to get that off my chest. Well, back to work."

He gleefully sprang up from the desk, and replaced his mask. After cracking his knuckles, he picked up his welder, and walked back over to the car.

_Okay…._

"If you want to help, grab the steering wheel on the desk and hand it to me."

After climbing back into the vehicle, he flipped down the mask, and resumed his welding. Pondering over Lazlo's story, trying to decide if it was what made him crazy, or if it was just made up as a result of it. Finally, I found a black steering wheel on his desk, and picked it up. As I walked over to Lazlo's vehicle, I inspected the dirtied wheel.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

He carefully pulled his head out of the metal frame, and took the steering device from me. "I'm fine. It's over and done with, and now we must focus on the combine."

With great skill, he positioned the steering wheel on a rod, and started to weld it into position.

"Every second we spend thinking about the past, the combine get stronger." Lazlo looked up from his work, and raised his mask. "Soon, the combine will have used Breen to their liking, and remove him. Then they will kill every single human on earth, or convert them to stalkers." He flipped down his mask, and continued to weld. "If we are going to live as a species, we need to strike at their main construction facility; the citadel. Only problem is, it take a year to breach the walls with our tools, and we'd need an army ten times as powerful as the one we had before the seven hour war to fight our way to the fusion core. Then we would need a way to overload it, not to mention escape with our lives, in order to bring it down. Oh yeah, and in order to get _anywhere_ in the citadel, we would need to use the pods, and at that point we would be at the mercy of the combine."

He took off his mask, stopped welding, and shook the frame to see how sturdy it was. "Hmm. Not bad."

"So, Lazlo, you're saying we're screwed?"

"Not exactly," he said, circling around his newly built car. "A number of unexpected things could bring the combine down. Like, if just by chance, a huge meteor slammed into the side of the citadel. That might cause some damage."

I could tell he was only being sarcastic, and replied, "Or this might be a big misunderstanding, and the combine enslaved the wrong planet."

Instead of following it up with a comeback, the scientist said, "It's pretty much done. Want to take it out for a ride?"

_I can't remember the last time I was in a car…_

"Sure, but as long as you drive it."

Delighted, Lazlo hopped into the driver seat, and motioned me over to the passenger side. I jogged around the car, and slid into the black seat. After toying with something under the dashboard, a camouflaged garage door opened in front of the car. He turned on the engine, and pulled into the blackness in front of us. Then, the door slid shut, making the only source of light come from the cracks behind us. Then, the seemingly rock solid wall in front of our yellow vehicle shuttered, and rose up.

"Hidden entrance," Lazlo said as he stepped on the gas pedal. After leaving the base, he looked behind to ensure the door had closed, and then began to accelerate. "This is going to be fun!"

He drove down the base of the mountain, picking up speed. Then, he turned the steering wheel counter-clockwise, and pulled into a shallow stream. Two of the tires were in the water, spraying it up at Lazlo and me. Although it rather bothered me, he smiled, and nearly shut his eyes, as his cheeks were glistened by the mist. Just as I was about to say something, he sharply turned right onto a dirt road.

"Where are we heading?" I asked.

"Eh, I'm just going for a free ride. Hope it doesn't fall apart like my last car."

Slightly worried, I asked, "Uh, your last car?"

"Yes, it was a red buggy thing. I worked on it a long time ago; a _long _time ago. But it broke apart, and sort of blew up too. Singed my hair; it never grew back. Anyway, I gave it to these people on the coast. They said they would fix it up for anyone needing it."

I prepared myself to jump out at the first sign of fire. "Why exactly did it blow up?"

"The one thing wrong with my vehicles is the engine. They tend to start alight if they smash into anything."

"Don't worry; it's not your fault. The cars I drove when you were in the military were the same."

I instantly wished I hadn't said that, fearing I had sparked another memory in Lazlo's scrambled mind. Thankfully, he kept his eyes on the road, or maybe on the trees we were driving past on opposite sides of the car.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I searched behind us for any familiar landmarks, in search of our destination. "So, we are just driving around for fun? Now that I am up and about, I have sensors to de-crow."

"Please. I already installed an auto de-crow system, so you don't have to do anything. Anyway, I thought we would check up on a couple of the shacks bordering White Forest. You know; lookout and supply."

I nodded, and lookout out the window or at least, where the window would be. I squinted my eyes as I glanced up at the blazing sun over the snow capped mountains. You could see them from White Forest, and for miles around. Lazlo decelerated slightly, and turned left into the trees. He quickly took his left hand off the wheel to fix his glasses. "Here we are," he exclaimed, slowing the car to a stop in front of a metal shack.

I climbed out of Lazlo's vehicle, and observed the building. Anyone that didn't know where it was located would never find it, as it was hidden deep within the woods. "Anyone home?" Lazlo said, knocking on the door.

"What's the password?" a female voice said from the inside.

Lazlo replied, "I'm not even goona tell you. Just shut up and let me in."

"Okay," she said as the door was unlocked. Lazlo smiled at me, and walked inside.

_Was that the password, or what?_

The brown haired woman glanced at our car, and said, "Wow. Did you build that?"

"Why yes, yes I did," Lazlo proudly said.

"Oh," she replied, disgusted at him. She thought that I had built it. As she led us into the makeshift base, Lazlo stuck his tongue out at the back of her head.

*****

"We got a visitor, Rosa?" a man asked, without looking up from the surveillance monitors.

"We sure do," Rosa replied. "They have a pretty nice ride as well."

"They do?" the man sarcastically remarked, bolting up and out of his chair. I could see, via his TV screens, that our car had been watched ever since we had gotten within two hundred meters of the base. It was freakish how many cameras we pasted by without our knowing.

"Everything okay down here?" Lazlo asked, ignoring the man's remark.

"Sure is," Rosa said. "There's another outpost not far from here. You can pick up some ammo there if you need it."

"Got any spray paint cans?"

"What?" the man chuckled. After a moment or two of Lazlo staring, he replied, "Uh, I guess I have a few. What for?"

Lazlo winked at me as the man bent down under his desk, and said, "I have a job to do."

The man pulled out a red crate, and removed a pink spray paint bottle. After handing it to Lazlo, the man put the crate away. "Thank you. We'll be off." Lazlo walked out of the small room, and out of the door. Just before closing the metal door, Rosa smiled at me. I motioned at my ring finger, and she blushed, slamming the door.

_Ha_

"Let's go, Griggs!" Lazlo yelled while honking the horn.

"I'm coming," I mumbled as I climbed back into our car.

*****

"Am I that unattractive?" Lazlo said as we drove. I could tell he knew why Rosa had responded in the way she did. "Is it my hair? My glasses? My clothes?"

"Lazlo," I said, leaning over, "If there is one thing we understand even less than the combine, it's the opposite gender. I would assume it is a combination of all three."

"Eh, you would think that they would be crawling at my feet after the things I have accomplished."

"I agree," I replied.

"Well, the base should be right up the road," Lazlo said, slightly saddened. I looked at the trees we were passing for any signs of a base. Lazlo peered at the forest to his right, searching for the same thing.

"I wonder what she saw in me. I don't have anything that man didn't, besides manners."

"I saw what you did. Why did you make her think you were married, and just didn't have a ring?"

"I'm not into relationships," I said. "And besides; with the combine at large as they are now, it wouldn't last long."

Lazlo nodded in agreement. "Ah, here we are!" He pulled up in front of a larger metal building. After turning the engine off, I started to get out, but he stopped me. "Something doesn't look right. People always come out to greet you here. They should have spotted us on the cameras by now. Hmm."

He pulled out the paint can, and a lighter. Then, after fumbling around in his pockets, he pulled out a green circuit board, and a roll of duct tape. Then, he wrapped the three in it and after a few adjustments and wiring, he smiled and proudly examined his contraption. Then, he saw the look on my face, and said, "I'll tell you how to make one later. Let's go." He got out of the car, and trotted towards the base.

As we got to the open door, he put out a hand, and said, "Stay here. I have a bad feeling about this." After that, he sprinted into the darkness. I equipped my machinegun, and scanned for enemies.

After a minute, I started to worry. I gripped my machinegun, and started to sweat.

_Lazlo will be out in just a moment. Stay calm._

After three minutes, I checked that my clip was loaded for the fourth time. "Lazlo? Hurry up in there!" The forest was eerily silent. I glanced through the dark doorway, still open. Then, I noticed a thin trail of smoke coming from the building. Relieved, I exhaled and laughed slightly. Suddenly, a terrible thought struck me. Cautiously, I inched my way around the building. My hands were shaking by the time I got half way around. I nearly dropped my machinegun when I saw what was sticking out of the building; a headcrab canister. "LAZLO, GET OUT OF THERE!" I sprinted as fast as I could to the door he entered by, but when I got there, nobody came out.

Then I heard breathing. "Lazlo?" I softly said. The breathing turned into snarling. As if on cue, as soon as I looked up, a terrifying fast zombie lurched from the roof. Screaming, it flew behind me. I spun around and fired my machinegun at the headcrab controlling it. It fell to all fours, and then began to sprint towards me. I fired at it, but to no avail. The zombie leapt onto me, pinning my machinegun to my chest. I could feel its claws tearing into the fabric covering my arm. "GET OFF!" I yelled, pushing it off with all my might. Startled, it was blown backwards, and stopped for a moment. I aimed my machinegun at the beast, and pulled the trigger. Click.

_You have got to be kidding me._

It screamed at me, and came in for the kill. I pulled out a grenade, and removed the pin. Just before it reached me, I kicked it in its vital spot; the head. The headcrab was hurt, and the zombie stumbled backwards. Then, I shoved the grenade between the headcrab and the victim's head, and ran. I covered my ears just in the nick of time, but it didn't save me from getting splattered in yellow blood. I moaned and rolled onto my back, inspecting my wounds.

"Found it!" Lazlo exclaimed, running out of the building. He saw me on the ground, with my arms bleeding. "I have the radio. We have to get out of here!"

"You think?"

Then, a flaming zombie crawled out of the door. It screamed in agony, before crumpling into a charred heap of flesh. Lazlo bent down over the fast zombie I had killed. "Victim is…female. Still has most of her flesh and hair…hmm…this was very recent."

"They're shelling the bases with headcrab canisters," I said, getting up. "That can only mean one thing."

"We have to warn White Forest," yelled Lazlo, getting in the car. "Here; you call them. I'll drive.

*****

"This is Griggs Harrison, come in White Forest."

"This is White Forest. What do you—"

"GRIGGS! You are supposed to be on crow duty, not taking a stroll!"

"Magnusson, please!" I shouted into the radio. "They shelled outpost five. They are attacking! Repeat; the combine are attacking!"

Magnusson was shocked for a second, saying nothing. Then, he replied, "How did you get all the way to outpost five?"

I turned over to Lazlo, wondering how I should respond. Lazlo rolled his eyes, and took the radio from me. "LISTEN! The combine will attack any moment! If you don't prepare your defenses now, it'll be too late."

"Okay, Lazlo, but I am not doing what you ask of me. I am simply taking your advice." After that, he shut off the radio.

Lazlo started to drive faster and faster, still perfectly calm, at least on the outside. Then, I heard something. "Hey, uh Lazlo, do you hear thumping?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

As I wrapped my damaged arms in white medical bandages, I searched around for the source of the sound. "Think they sent striders?" I asked.

"If they did," Lazlo boasted, "I could take them down with ease. I invented these things called Lazlo Devices! Like a sticky bomb, they stick to the hull of a strider, and when you shoot 'em; BOOM!"

"I see. Wait, I think I see…oh my goodness." Nearly dropping the spool of bandages, I stared in shock at the multiple packs of hunters approaching the base. Marching in unison, they created a rhythmic thumping. They were followed by battalions of elite combine. "Lord help us all," Lazlo said, nearly losing control of the car.

"Drive faster!" I shouted. "They can't be allowed to know we are here!" Lazlo didn't argue, and accelerated to the car's limits.

*****

We pulled up outside White Forest. More than thirty rebels stood ready to kill the invaders. I started to get out, but decided to stay in the car, as it was safer.

"The combine are approaching," Dr. Magnusson shouted through the forest's speakers. "Don't let them get in!" Then, I saw the first hunters emerge from the forest. Multiple rebels gave their battle cry, and charged at the beast. Among them was Sheckly.

As he ran by the car, he saw me and was shocked at the vehicle Lazlo had constructed. "Hey Griggs, nice ride you have there. Don't kill all the hunters!" He turned back towards the fight, and sprinted with his SMG1 ready. "Stay safe!" I yelled.

"Are you ready for this, Griggs?" Lazlo said, leaning over.

"Sure am. Hit it!" At that, Lazlo slammed on the accelerator. The wheels spun for a moment, kicking up dust, before we took off. A sharp right turn took us towards the battle. As we got closer and closer to the fight, Lazlo went faster and faster. Then, he turned the car ever so slightly, so it was faced towards a hunter. It turned towards us at the last second before it was hit by the front of the vehicle. Its inner legs shattered, and its soft inner structure was shaken enough to kill it. The dead body slumped onto the car. I raised my right leg, and with a powerful thrust kicked it off the car.

Lazlo turned the steering wheel sharply left, knocking a hunter off balance. Sheckly placed one leg on it, and fired rounds of bullets into its hull, until it stopped moving. He raised his gun and fired it into the air. I waved at him, and he returned to the fight. Then, a group of hunters moved towards him, moving in for a quick kill. "Lazlo, go back!" I shouted. He realized the emergency, and turned the car around. As we got closer to the pack of hunters, he said, "Take the wheel. I'm going to save your friend Mr. Thomson."

"WHAT?! I can't drive!"

"Just, take the wheel," he said, as he climbed onto the roof. I unwillingly moved over, and grabbed on to the steering wheel. Lazlo grabbed two flame throwers, one in each hand, and prepared to jump. "I will not allow you to suffer as I did from these things." Then, he leapt off the hood, and onto the ground, drawing the attention of the hunters.

Unbelieving of what he just did, the hunters gathered around him, and waited for him to make the next move. I pulled the car over to Sheckly, laying on the ground, and helped him into the car. "Thanks," he croaked. I handed him the bandages so he could patch himself up. Then, I turned my attention to Lazlo. We were some distance away, but I could see him mouth the words, 'Today, I rejoin my family.' Then, he jumped up in the air, twirling in a circle. At the same time, fire leapt from his contraptions, surrounding himself in a spiral of flame. Next, he fired a canister straight up, resulting in a tower of fire, exploding at the top. It drew attention away from the hunters, giving him a narrow chance of escape. Leaping out of the flames, he struck a hunter with his foot. Nearly stopping for a second, Lazlo jumped off that hunter and through the air.

_Never have I seen a scientist in that good physical condition._

He ignited everything under him, before landing behind a soldier. He quickly put his hands around its neck, and snapped it. Then, a shrill charging sound from behind prompted him to duck, sending an energy orb flying over his head. It smashed into a hunter, turning it black and vaporizing it in a flash of light. Lazlo turned around, and charged at the helpless soldier.

A group of flechettes striking the car made me stop staring in awe, and continue driving. I squeezed my muscles as they exploded, jarring the car. "Sheckly, you alright?"

"I'm not dead yet."

I chuckled, and continued to drive. I saw a hunter, closing in on another rebel, trying to reload. I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal, and accelerated towards the hunter. "Brace yourself!" I shouted at Sheckly, already gripping the side of the car. I struck the hunter with enough force that it went sailing over the back of our vehicle. The woman I had saved smiled in relief. I took my left hand off the steering wheel and waved at her. Then, I made a U turn, and ran over the lifeless hunter to make sure it was dead.

"Over there," Sheckly groaned, pointing towards a group of hunters, firing into a ball of fire. "Nah, he's got himself covered," I said, trying to impress Sheckly of Lazlo's abilities. I slowed down the car, turned left, and heading into another pack. "Take THIS!" I screamed, driving into three hunters, pummeling an unfortunate victim to death. I turned right, and drove towards some soldiers, firing upon other rebels. "DIE YOU SOULESS BEASTS!" I drove directly into the squad, shattering their bones.

"Settle down Griggs, I don't know how much this car can take."

I rolled my eyes, and laughed slightly. Then, I passed by an elite soldier. It saw its chance, and grabbed onto the side of the car car. It pointed its AR2 at me, and carefully aimed it at my head. Then, a stream of energy shot out of the helpless soldier's chest. It let go, and was squashed under the wheels.

_Uriah!_

I didn't need to turn my head to see who had saved my life, but I did anyway. I smiled at the Vortigaunt across the battlefield, as he continued to help in the fight. "Watch out!" Sheckly shouted, gripping onto the car as tightly as he could. Before I could turn my attention to where I was going, the car was halted to a stop by a tree, (the same one I had run into the other day!)

Sheckly was fine, however I was thrown up and out of the car. I then realized how fast I was going, as I was flung like a headcrab just struck by a crowbar into the forest. I smashed down onto the grass and blacked out.

*****

Shakily, I rose to my feet, not knowing how much time had passed. However, could hear gunfire in the distance, so I knew I hadn't been out long. I picked up my machinegun, and looked around for any familiar objects. After a minute of searching, I spotted a rather large cabin about twenty yards away.

_Strange_

Started jogging towards the mystery building, but curiosity made me sprint. I thought about how far I had been thrown, and the impact damage it must have cause.

_Guess I can cheat death now too._

I finally got to the building, and starred up at it in awe. Without thought, I stumbled towards the enchanted structure. Then, I snapped out of it, and fell over.

_That fall must have done more damage than I thought._

Suddenly, I got the incredible urge to continue towards the large cabin. My unconscious mind was screaming at me not to, but I continued running for the strange building anyway.

"NO!" I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut. "Whoever you are, you will NOT control me!"

I waited for a moment, and the urge to go inside passed. Relieved, I slumped against the side of the cabin and exhaled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I slid down the wood wall, until I was sitting on the grass. I leaned my head against it and closed my eyes. Then, a splitting head ache sliced through my skull. I instinctively yanked my head away from the wall, and it stopped.

Experimentally, I put my head back up against the wall, seeing if it would return. Sure enough, it did. After a few moments of observing it, I stood, and headed for the door, curious on what was inside.

WAIT!

I stopped, and made sure that it was me who wanted to go in, and not something making me.

"I am doing this out of MY OWN WILL!" I shouted up at the trees. I looked around, and then continued towards the door. I grabbed my machinegun, and inched closer and closer to the doorway in a crouched position. As I approached it, I got up, and slid my body against the wall.

One, two, three, NOW

I jumped into the doorway, holding my SMG1 out, ready to fire. My hands were shaking as I franticly looked around for enemies. After finding none, I let my weapon drop to my side. Then, my view was drawn to a large object, hanging from the wall. It was made of combine metal.

What the?

I looked around for a combine controller of some sort, and found a rather large one attached to a view screen. I tapped a few keys, looking for what it was. Then, I found the video feed. An image of a large green slug like entity was projected onto the screen in front of me.

No. An advisor? WHAT THE DEVIL IS ONE DOING OUT HERE!?!

Unbelieving of my eyes, I refreshed the camera. The same picture was displayed. Nobody knew much about advisors, but we did know that you didn't stand a chance against one. I franticly searched for something that would kill it on the panel.

Life support!

I brought up the life support manager, and told it to shut down.

-ERROR! HATCHING SEQUENCE UNDERWAY-

Aw, heck.

I brought my machinegun up, and prepared to fire. Slowly, the panels lid upward, and a large green entity floated out. I aimed my machinegun, and started to pull the trigger, but the advisor blew me backwards with a wave of mental force. I crawled towards my machinegun, but the advisor picked me up without laying a hand on me and pinned me to a vertical wooden beam. I was surrounded in a force field that looked like heat waves. I struggled to reach my sidearm, but I couldn't move that far. The combine creature pressed me against the beam so hard, I began to wonder which would break first; the wood or my skull. The advisor levitated closer to me, and then a long tongue slid out of its mouth.

Only I could have found an advisor in a forest.

It became very hard to breathe, and I could figure out the advisor was squeezing the life out of my. It sent a shockwave of energy through my mind, giving me the same headache I experienced outside.

Then, through the door I had entered, Lazlo emerged, and nearly dropped his flamethrowers when he saw what I was up against. The advisor turned towards the whacky scientist, loosening its grip on me. "Burn," he mumbled as he aimed his weapons. He let a steady stream of fire shoot out of the canisters, and at the advisor. The flames licked at an invisible sphere around the advisor. It was completely impervious to damage.

However, I could feel its grip loosen on my even more. The advisor then contained the fire into a massive ball, and sent it rocketing at Lazlo. He threw aside his canisters, still having them shoot flammable gasses into the air, making them spin across the floor. The flamethrower martial artist barely dodged the fireball by leaping to the right. He army crawled to my weapon, laying on the ground, and aimed it at the beast. I could tell he was uncomfortable with it, but even so, he steadily pointed it towards the entity floating in the air, and pulled the trigger. The bullets entered the invisible shield around the advisor, but stopped inches away from its 'face'.

The green entity sent the bullets flying away from it at the same speed they were fired from the gun. One of them struck Lazlo's flamethrower, detonating it. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there were flammable gasses everywhere. The entire room lit up in a firestorm, consuming the advisor, me, and Lazlo. The advisor was still protected by its mental powers, and it protected me; its meal. However, I could feel the heat on my face, and the advisor felt it too, as it let out an ear piercing screech. It nearly dropped me, and it was using so much energy protecting itself.

I looked around the room for Lazlo once the fire had gone out, but couldn't find him. Then, the advisor moved close to me, very close. It pressed me so hard against the wooden beam, I could hear splintering. Whether it was the wood, or my bones, I didn't know. The advisor once again protruded its tongue, and waved it in front of my face. Suddenly, a stream of energy struck it, and it spun around to face Uriah, running down a dark corridor into this room. It grabbed Uriah with the same energy it used one me, however he managed to blow it off using Vortal energies.

The advisor stopped for a moment, shocked that someone had overcome its energy. Uriah charged for another blast, however the creature smashed him with the back of its 'hand'. Like a ragdoll, he sailed back down the hallway he came through, but quickly got up. The advisor used its mental powers to crush the wood above the entrance, sealing off the Vortigaunt's rescue path. Satisfied, it turned towards me.

It moved closer and closer, and then pulled me off the wood and spun me around. Suddenly, it dropped me, and looked around the room in a panic. I saw my chance, and drew my sidearm, however the advisor yanked wood and debris off the cabin and swirled it around itself as protection. Then, it exploded out of the cabin and went sailing into the air. After it was gone, I tried to get up, however multiple bones were broken. I decided to do nothing, and wait for a rescue. Then, a man's face flashed in front of my eyes.

Oh no. Not you again.

The strange man somehow pulled my conscious out of my body, and into a black space. I could not see myself, but I did see the man in a suit, closing in on me. "So we meet…at last."

You

"ME? What about me?"

Crud! He can read my thoughts!

"Please. I can do…far more…than that. Think of us…as men…tally joined."

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but I didn't have one, so I continued to 'think' to him.

Why are you doing this?

"That I can…not say. I am not…here to be asked…questions."

Then what are you here for?! I angrily thought.

"I am here…for you. You have passed…the test, and have been…deemed worthy of being…hired by me."

Wait. What test?

"Your life, Griggs. Your…entire life has been one…big test. And you passed."

Shocked by what he had just said, I remained silent for some time.

"Ever wonder why I…kicked the vial…across the floor? A test. When you…found this advisor? A test! When you were late for…school as a…child? A test!"

So that why the advisor was here.

"Exactly. Now you will be…detained until your…services are needed. Rest now."

Then, a soothing sensation was gathered over me. I tried to break free but didn't, as I was so relaxed. I could feel his fingers reaching into my brain, massaging every tense nerve. His image started to fade, along with my entire mind. I started thinking less, and not caring about anything. Then I realized what he was doing.

You're killing me.

I focused my entire mind on getting the man out. I mentally squeezed every muscle I had, and directed them all at the man.

GET OUT!

He finally released me, and looked startled.

"So be…it. I offered you a…relaxing passage into…my services. Now you…will pay."

Then, with every ounce of his energy, tore into my mind. The advisor's attacks were nothing compared to his insane force. He dove into my memories observing and deleting them. I tried to push him out again, but my attempt was like an antlion grub trying to overcome the foot above it. The pain was unbearable, and I almost wished he had done it the first way. When he was finished sorting through my mind, he 'backed up' slightly, and then moved in for the kill.

Just before he got to me, a familiar figure appeared between us.

Uriah!

The Vortigaunt was glowing purple/blue, and had energy shields on his fingertips. He struggled to push the man back, but he came after us with more force than ever. Then, a third figure appeared. I couldn't believe who it was, and neither could Uriah or the man.

Lazlo? We simultaneously thought.

Lazlo was glowing red this time, and was holding the shield generator he showed me in his lab.

I'm sorry I lied to you. Most of the things in my lab are used to combat this thing. He thought.

Lazlo held his generator up to the man, and he backed away. Then, Uriah moved up with his shield, forcing the man back further. The Vortigaunt/Human blockade advanced on the mysterious man, loosening his grip on me even more.

There must be something I can do to help!

With my entire mind, I focused on pushing the man out of my conscious once and for all. I could tell we were winning, as he started to fade into the distance. Just before he vanished, he said, "You will…regret this."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Similar to the sound of coming rapidly out of water, I was flung back into the real world, in my body, in Lazlo's lab. The scientist who owned the place came out a moment after, and was sent hurtling through the air. Uriah, however, made a more graceful entrance by materializing in a bluish light. After a moment back in my own head, I gripped it in pain.

"AHHH!" I screamed, collapsing on the floor.

"The Harrison must relax. Your mind has been attacked by him."

I squeezed my eyelids shut, and tried not to think about the intense pain tearing through my skull.

"Yeah, you took quite a thrashing. I was surprised you lasted that long," Lazlo said.

"Wait," I said, opening my eyes. "You know about him?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I didn't want you to know because I hoped you were just being paranoid. That's probably why we met."

I tried to stand, but my legs were like jelly, as if I hadn't used them in years. I fell onto the cold hard floor and moaned.

"I shall return with assistance," Uriah spoke, losing the last of his purple glow. Lazlo put down the generator he was carrying and went over to help me up. "That thing produces a shield like the one a Vort would. It can also allow me to do the things they can, in a way."

As he put an arm around my shoulder, I asked, "How did only us three beat that man?"

Lazlo motioned over to his orb machine. "The creation of an orb is not its primary function. It allows me to use energy similar to Vortal energy. It is also used for short bursts of power, allowing me to attack the man with a force comparable to, eh, five or six Vorts."

_Whoa_

My friend pulled me up until I was standing, and then helped me over to a table. He had many delicate gadgets on it, which he quickly wiped off with his arm onto the floor. He set my on the table, and laid me down. "He really screwed with your mind, huh. Just rest there for awhile. You don't know what he changed in there," he said, tapping his head. I lie there and stared up at the ceiling. I tried to remember the last time I was in bed.

_Just this morning, when I was getting ready for my first day of work…_

*****

_My alarm clock beeped, pulling me out of my sleep. I grunted, and turned over, smashing the snooze button with my palm, turning off the alarm. Then I remembered what day it was, and jumped out of bed. I hastily put on some suitable clothes, and ate a piece of burnt, cold toast I had set next to my bed the previous night. As I munched on it, I hurried out of my apartment, down the stairs, and out the door. I fumbled with my keys, and opened the door to my Honda. After I had gotten it, I popped the last piece of toast into my mouth, and started the engine. I drove about eight blocks to get to the office where I would work. I parked my car, and went inside. The manager was already explaining to the new employees how to do their job. "Welcome, newcomers. You are about to be hired into the finest office building in the city! Now, remember your training, and watch out for these staplers. They tend to…"_

*****

I slowly opened my eyes, and looked around. I was in the same place in Lazlo's lab, however there were two Vortigaunts next to the table with their glowing hands hovering over me. I tried to lift my head, but the terrible pain returned.

_Hadn't had that dream in awhile._

"The Harrison has awoken," said one of the Vorts.

"Yes," the other agreed.

Then, I looked down, expecting to see a cast. When I didn't, I asked, "Aren't my legs broken or something.?"

"Naw, you're fine! Heh, I can't believe what two Vorts can do," exclaimed Lazlo. "Two is always better than one!"

"LAZLO!" I shouted, now fully awake and alert. "How did you fight all those hunters?"

He smiled, and proudly explained, "The hunters were fresh out of the Citadel. No training what so ever; easy to take down. After I ran out of flamethrowers, I—"

"Wait, wait, wait; you ran out of flamethrowers?!"

"I had to stop back here just to get more, and I used up every one! The last two I took with when searching for you. How the heck did you manage to come across an advisor?"

"I don't know, the man says it was a test, along with my whole life."

The Vortigaunt mimicking scientist chuckled, and replied, "He's just screwing with you."

It made me smile, and laugh a little myself.

"There is little more we can do," said one of the Vorts.

"I'm fine. Thanks a bunch for the help."

The Vortigaunts 'turned off' their Vortal energies, and exited the lab. They had already mastered the trick door.

I attempted to sit up, but winced from the pain. Lazlo helped me the rest of the way. "So," I asked, "you probably fixed your orb machine."

"What? No. It worked fine."

"But I saw the man remove a wire just over there!" I pointed to a dangling wire in the back of the machine. Lazlo walked over to his computer, and started it. A shower of sparks fell from the energy emitter, and it creaked and groaned in its broken state. "But if it wasn't working, then—"

"—how did I imitate Vortal energies?" Lazlo finished, while looking at his hands. "Very interesting," he murmured.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, imagining the possibilities. Then, he put his hands behind his back, and thrust them outward, imitating Vortigaunt behavior.

Nothing happened.

After a few seconds of silence, I burst out in laughter. Lazlo blushed, and turned away. "Well, I guess that's one mystery I'll solve later."

"HA HA! OW." I said, holding my head.

_Something's really messed up in there._

Lazlo chuckled himself, as he wrote a memo on a sticky note. "Here, this will help," he said, moving over to his fridge. After opening it, I could see it was stocked full of food. He pulled out an ice bag, and threw it over to me.

"You don't ever need to leave this place, do you," I joked, putting the pack on my forehead. "All you need is a bathroom, and you'd be all set.

"Ha!" Lazlo shouted, without looking out of the fridge. After a second or two of searching, he pulled out a banana, and shut the door. He pulled away the skin, and took a generous bite. "You want one?" he asked, talking with his mouth full.

"No thanks," I replied, shutting my eyes from the intense light.

"Here, I'll dim the lights," he said. I nodded, and he walked over to the wall. He turned two switched to the 'off' position, turning off half of the lights on the ceiling. I cautiously reopened my eyes, and turned my attention back to Lazlo. He strode over to his computer, sat down, and began to type.

"Watcha workin' on?" I asked.

"A book."

"A book?" I chuckled.

"To be more precise, a documentary of the combine invasion, just for reference. If the combine kill us all, get bored, and leave, then another alien race come, they're goona want to know what the heck happened."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Well, kinda," he replied. "It's mostly just to make me feel better about it all without lying."

_Of course_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

My old fashioned alarm clock rang, wobbling slightly, awaking me. My eyes opened, and I sat up in bed. After a moment of getting out of my sleepy state, I stood up, and reached for my brown pants. After putting them on, I slid a pair of boots over my feet, and threw on my leather armor shirt. After that, multiple bags were placed on it, all full of survival items. I fumbled through the small wardrobe for a couple of med packs, even though I doubted needing them. I had learned my lesson.

I opened the door to my room, and stepped out of it. I slowly closed it behind me, to make sure that I didn't awake anyone. I jogged to Lazlo's putty wall, pressed the hidden button, the jogged back to Lazlo's lab. After it scanned my fingerprint, I pulled off the handle, and removed the fake door. I silently replaced it, and slid into the scientist's laboratory. To my surprise, Lazlo was not alone, but was accompanied by two Vortigaunts, including Uriah. They all had glowing hands that were moving up and down the man's body.

"Hey, Griggs, I told the Vorts what had happened with my machine. They're checking me out."

I nodded my head, and walked over to Uriah. "Got anything?" I whispered.

Uriah turned away from Lazlo, and faced me. "The human is special."

"Yes," the others agreed.

"Wait, whoa, you mean Lazlo's a Vort?!" I shouted, louder than I had intended.

"Not exactly," Uriah explained. "Few humans here on Earth have the ability to use Vortal energies. For most, it is a freak of nature, brief ability that is never investigated, but the Rickit is special."

_Rickit?_

Lazlo blushed at hearing his last name. The Vorts took a step back, finished, and turned towards Uriah.

"He has a rare ability, brought on by the use of his machine," one said.

"Agreed," the other applied.

"The Rickit must keep his ability secret," Uriah softly spoke. "If the Rickit would like, we could give you training."

The other Vortigaunts 'gasped' in shocked, or rather made a deep noise with their throat.

"To train a human in the Vortessense has never been done," one said.

The other replied, "We must, for the good of both us and humans alike."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Lazlo glumly said, "but I am needed at the coast. They say they need a scientist to study pherapods."

"Wait," I said. "I have an idea! Some other scientist could pretend to be you, and go to the coast instead!"

"Erasing my identity in the process," Lazlo added.

"It is agreed," Uriah said. "However, the Rickit mustn't stay here. My kin will take you to a Vortigaunt camp, however I must stay here. A new Dr. Rickit will be sent to the coast, and will take all of your achievements."

"Agreed."

"Yes."

"But what will we do about that car you made?" I asked.

"It shall be taken to a Rebel outpost not far from here, by the old mines," one Vortigaunt replied.

"Yes."

"Okay, it was nice knowing you, Griggs," Lazlo said. He patted my shoulder, and walked out of his lab. The other Vorts followed, and exited the room, but I stayed for some time.

*****

ABOUT ONE WEEK LATER

*****

I jogged out of the lunch room, after my dinner meal, and took a big breath of air. I looked around the base, watching everyone scurry about. People were going crazy after what Gordon Freeman did. I still couldn't believe how hard he hit Nova Prospect. It was heavily guarded, and he slipped right in.

I ran through the corridors to get to Lazlo's lab, and placed my hand on the door handle. I waited for a green light to flash, but nothing happened. I then turned it, and opened the door normally. They had 'fixed' it. Inside, Lazlo's machines were gone, and a couple of scientists were setting lab equipment up.

_I miss Lazlo's lab._

"DR. HARRISON!"

I slowly turned around with a blank expression on my face to look at Dr. Magnusson.

"YOU are supposed to be on crow duty. GET OUT THERE, NOW!"

Moved around him, and rolled my eyes. I headed for the big blast doors at the front of the base, and exited them.

*****

I looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and then pulled away the disguise we had place on Lazlo's car. I got in, and started the engine.

We had decided to keep the car at the base for a few days, and then take it to the outpost near the mines. I pressed on the gas, and moved out of the trees.

Then, my view was shifted to the Citadel. At the top was a massive swirling fire storm, growing unstable. I turned on the headlights, gripped the yellow steering wheel, (we had given it a paint job,) and drove down the dirt road. Then, a heard a shout, and stopped the car for Sheckly.

"I wanna come too!" he shouted.

I grunted, and let him enter the car. "Hold on tight!" I said, just before accelerating out of White Forest.

*****

I parked the car just at the mouth of the bridge. A rebel came up to greet me. "Hey, we'll take that from here." Sheckly and I got out of the car, and I turned it off. I admired their base they had; multiple shacks lined the chasm, and were all filled with our troops. "Nice base," Sheckly remarked.

"Thanks, but I'm afraid you can't stay here. We hardly have enough supplies for all the people here."

"I understand," I said, disappointed.

He saw my sorrow, and replied, "There's a mine not too far from here. If you can hold off the antlions, you'd never get touched by the combine!"

_Ugh, antlions. Hate the little boogers._

I glance up at the citadel. The cloud was growing, and starting to flash with energy. "You know, Shecky, I think we should head for the mines." "AGREEDED!" he shouted, already running there himself.

I followed him under the metal door the rebels opened, and into a dark hallway. After a second or two, we were back into the light, at the edge of a cliff. "HERE!" my friend shouted, motioning at an elevator. When we got in, however, we saw that a pick axe was stuck in the lever. I tugged on it, but couldn't get it out. "Over here!" he said, leading me down a cliff side, and down a ladder.

When we finally got to the bottom, he took off through the grass. We passed a couple of antlion thumpers along the way. After being up all night driving, I stopped, and bent over. "Come on!" Sheckly shouted, having all the sleep he needed. I moaned, and looked back up at the Citadel. Then, a flash of light caught my attention, followed by green sparks flying into the cloud. Suddenly, I felt a small Earthquake, and the firestorm at the top exploded into a ball of white light.

That gave me the energy to sprint towards Sheckly, and into the mines. I ran down a small corridor, and got to an elevator. Sheckly was waiting. I jumped in, and jabbed the button with my thumb, slowly brining the elevator down. Another Earthquake shook the ground, rattling the elevator. Then, the elevator shuddered, and began to fall. "The quake must have knocked a gear out of place or something. JUMP!" I did as Sheckly advised, and leapt to the left out of the elevator onto a concrete surface. The elevator flew downwards, but then the brakes kicked in, locking it in place, meters below us. I slowly got up, but another quake shook the ground enough that I collapsed. I grabbed on to the metal elevator shaft for my life, as a blue/white shockwave was about to fly over us. I looked up towards the bright sky, and then shut my eyes to shield them. In the darkness, a man appeared.

A tall man in a suit, with a briefcase.

**TA DA! There it is, my whole story, thanks to Hyr'ayl. I won't call it complete just yet, in case someone finds an error or something. Please review my story, and take a look at my profile; I put a poll up, so you can vote on the next fanfiction for me to write.... PLEASE VOTE!!!!**


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